"153+154" - April 21, 2017

[gigimava]

10 hours ago, SES_Adam said:

I've added this to the OP, but want it here so I can easily link:

"EXPERIMENTAL" UPDATE:

The EXPERIMENTAL build of the game on Steam has been updated with Patch "154".

You will not have access to this update on the main version of the game on Steam. You will need to opt in to the Experimental build of the game in order to help us test this update:

HOW TO JOIN THE EXPERIMENTAL BUILD OF ASTRONEER ON STEAM:

In your Steam library:

• Right Click on Astroneer
• Properties
• Betas tab
• From the drop down select, "experimental - Latest untested builds"
• Hit 'Close'
• Steam should automatically grab that build. Once it's done, run the game. You're now running the Experimental build of Astroneer.
• When you want to go back to the MAIN build, repeat these steps but choose "NONE" from the drop down list in 'Betas' tab.

We will be running this patch on Experimental until Monday/Tuesday (Apr. 24/25) of this upcoming week. At that time we will update the main branch of Astroneer on Steam, as well as have that be the version we push to Xbox 'Play Anywhere'.

NOTE: Your save games will not be compatible with the Experimental build of the game. When we push this update to the main build of the game your save games will (should?) still be compatible. You will be starting a fresh game whenever playing a new Experimental build.

This update mostly addresses the inability to Print objects or Vehicles after unsuccessfully being rewarded with their blueprints for Researching. There's 2 bug fixes included in this update as well.
 

UPDATES

• MEDIUM PRINTER base module now unlocked at the beginning of new games.
  You will no longer be required to unlock its Blueprint from Researching.
• MEDIUM PRINTER  base module will include a SMALL SEAT blueprint, available for Printing. 
  You will no longer be required to unlock its Blueprint from Researching.
• VEHICLE BAY base module now unlocked at the beginning of new games. 
  You will no longer be required to unlock its Blueprint from Researching.
• VEHICLE BAY base module will include a ROVER CHASSIS blueprint, available for Printing. 
  You will no longer be required to unlock its Blueprint from Researching.

 

FIXES

• Fix for player colour/suits being wrong in MP after Save game is loaded.
• Fix for DEADLY HEAT-SEEKING storm boxes

I can, after all, see why you wanted to make it more complicated to get things. In that respect, I appreciate the fact that there are far less researchable boxes, effectively forcing the player to explore, rather than just finding a cave and be done. Probably, making the printer module not available wasn't so wise, but maybe it wasn't even so bad.

Haven't you considered using a prioritized random queue for research? I can imagine you already have some form of list of things that can be researched. Rather than having them all equally likely, you may decide a fixed likelihood, say 0.3, and process the list in order, so that the first thing on the list (which would imo be the printer) would be discovered with a 30% probability (meaning that you are expected to find it by researching 3 chests), the second one with a (1-0.3)*0.3= 21% probability, and so on. Somewhere in this list you can also put resources or a "nothing" dummy. This doesn't prevent you from discovering things in a different order, but gives a somehow preset discovery path. So that, for instance, you will likely discover the vehicle bay before you discover any vehicle.

 

As for the "deadly heat-seeking storm boxes", LOL. My friend's comment was "president Trump lunched this storm specifically on you with a button on its desk".

[barbarossa]

Taking the ability of trading Hydrazine out of the Game is taking half of the Sand out of the Sandbox.

I don't like.

[A.L.P.H.A.]

Hello friends, why can not I download the 154 update, I play through Steam, explain, thanks for attention.

[Wyvyrias]

25 minutes ago, A.L.P.H.A. said:

Hello friends, why can not I download the 154 update, I play through Steam, explain, thanks for attention.

Restart Steam and verify the game files.

[Bulbie]

Thanks for this quicky patch. Works fine for me and the fun is back.

 

[siberia]

EXPERIMENTAL - OK I got the Printer fairly quickly on a new save, however blueprints are not unlocking the printer is stuck on the seat. 

[spinlock_1977]

I want trade-able hydrazine back.  Some of us like building more than running around for hours and hours (and hours and hours). Rather than trying to satisfy everybody with a single solution, how about a game config screen where the player can decide what's in and what's out?  If starting blueprints, rarity of research, what's trade-able, etc. could all be established at game startup time, and people like me will stop stinking up your forums every time you change something that doesn't suit a particular taste.  Maybe you could throw in a few 'canned' modes, one of which will undoubtedly be named 'Hardcore'.  

Edited April 23, 2017 by spinlock_1977
better

[SpaceExplorer]

I agree, having the ability to quickly progress and gather resources should be a choice the player can make himself. So +1 on bringing back Hydrazine Trade.

[jadedsoul]

so far playing experimental I'm am enjoying the game again yes there is far less research pods but that is a necessary evil I think to slow down game progress.

[Stigmaster51]

8 hours in experimental 154. Still have no:

• 2 of 4 new augments
• small battery
• tank
• large solar
• large wind
• habitat
• truck

Anybody knows:

1. chests on different planets are contains different blueprints?
2. What is "Oxygen" research?
3. Cannot deploy nodes of base from spaceship. Its normal?

 

Edited April 23, 2017 by Stigmaster51

[jadedsoul]

okay I just researched a pyramid type and got a blank result it stated researched:......................  I thought we was suppose to get a resource now instead of nothing

[Moonminer008]

I have played for roughly 4 hours now  Here's my review:

 

[Matt p]

I think more content and more to progress through should be the goal rather then less over more time. It would be awesome if after you've covered these planets with all you need you can then go to new solar systems with even crazier upgrades 

 

content is king the game is already really fun 

Edited April 23, 2017 by Matt p

[hobieone]

to be honest  I love playing and watch how this great game is progressing. I do see  and understand the changes making things  require research. and give research a purpose. but the random generator  just defeats it purpose and make it in necessarily frustrating too players.  research improvement needs to come from a different approach and not rely on a rng! at leat whenit come to major or important things are required too have.

[qlock]

I just returned to see if anyone else was frustrated that after hours and hours of game play they still have no printer! I thought it was just me at first. I've gotten everything else except the printer. lol. 

[Ljorius]

Review on Experimental 154 (4 hours on 154/202 hours astroneer total)

played Astroneer for about 4 hours, still wasnt able to research the truck and the storage for the truck/shuttle. which left me rely only the the rover. took nearly one hour till i researched the storage modul, till that time i was driving in circles for just a few resources. i can't say that the new research algorhytm is bad, but still some tuning is required, because what is a shuttle worth, when you cannot storage at least some resources on it.

Research:
general the changes in the research i good, makes you explore more. just one thought about the research items, at least give them some priority rating, at least to some. it is a pain, when you have researched nearly everything, but cannot expand because you lack the knowledge of the big storage, for example.

TerrainTool:
the changes on the terrain tool, i like the most, but since i wasn't able to research all of its upgrades/addons/augmentations i cannot say much about it. in short, i wasn't able to test them all.

Dynamite:
the increased effective range of dynamite, is nice but i still have no use for it.

Vehicle behaviour:
As for the rover, yes it is much more stable in this build

Resources:
In the build before, when you gathered free energy, you were able at least to get one complete nugget, now always a tip of energy is missing, this makes it harder to keep the pace during exploring

Stones:
the reduced amount of stones on the terrain is better now.

Day/Night change:
the first starting area its like the dark side of the moon, mostly i lack sunlight, it appears that i landed "on the dark side of the moon"

General:
The augmentation idea is great, there is great potential in it, for more. the terrain tool has now 3 slots, if i am not mistaken, but the few augs we have, some do not make or provide a useful combination, therefor more are required !!

So thats it for today, work is calling. More feedback i will provide during the week

 

[Nargg]

10 hours ago, spinlock_1977 said:

....  Maybe you could throw in a few 'canned' modes, one of which will undoubtedly be named 'Hardcore'.  

A few canned?  Why not just make the whole game selectable on everything possible?  THAT would be a magical game!

[ETwhisperer]

7 hours ago, Moonminer008 said:

I have played for roughly 4 hours now  Here's my review:

 

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jadedsoul]

okay I finally got storage research...and dangit the printer wont make it.....is the new starter printer not capable of making some items?

[ETwhisperer]

3 minutes ago, jadedsoul said:

okay I finally got storage research...and dangit the printer wont make it.....is the new starter printer not capable of making some items?

How long did it take to get printer ?

[jadedsoul]

I'm in experimental 154 I had the printer at start

[jadedsoul]

hmmm...I can make the large storage on the space ship thou  interesting

[A.L.P.H.A.]

The stability in the 154 patches fell by 8-10 fps for Meng, it is significant since the old hardware, do not forget about it dear developers, for all the rest I adore this game 127 hours already, I'm waiting for updates, and adding new buns for transport I like to travel to It looks great in different places of this or that planet, I've been watching the game for a very long time and I saw a vehicle that is much more logical and interesting than the one given to us now, is it related to the alpha build or those machines we'll never see?

 

 

 

 

 

[killerbake]

any idea when 153 will hit windows store?

 

aww jeez rick.. ugh like... why do windows store users get the shaft?

 

berrp because morty... because microsoft morty. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by killerbake

[imrule]

I love this new experimental version, great work devs!